Skiers have long known the difficulty in simultaneously handling a pair of skis and a pair of ski poles. Unless they are somehow tied together, the substantial length and mutually interfering configuration of these four members, and their ability to catch the wind and readily slide with respect to one another, normally requires considerable concentration and dexterity, as well as the use of both hands, by the user.
In response to this problem numerous and varied structures have been proposed over the years. However, none, of which I am aware, have been entirely satisfactory. Simple straps encircling the quartet of skis and poles tend to slide longitudinally thereon or permit the skis and poles to slide with respect to each other, and, in addition, must be equipped with buckles or other fastening devices which may be difficult to manipulate with gloved, mittened or cold numbed hands, particularly if the latching mechanism is clogged with ice or snow.
More sophisticated proposals have avoided the attempted securement of the skis and poles merely by encirclement with a strap, cord or the like, and instead have provided structures with different parts for gripping each ski and pole individually. Examples include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,626,553 and 3,737,956 (Darney et al. and Gragert, respectively). Gragert, however, proposes a relatively complex multipiece structure, wherein the several pieces are of different physical characteristics, necessitating the use of different materials therefor, as well as labor and assembling together of the parts prior to use. In addition, the stretchable holding cords for the ski poles are such as to require the members holding the edges of the skis to be rigid because otherwise they would tend to bend, back away from the skis, loosening the grip on the skis.
Darney, on the other hand, has a spring clip arrangement in which the bottoms of the skis are held in frictional contact with the central member of the clip across the entire width of the ski bottom for purposes of maintaining the connection of the clip to the skis, and wherein installation of the clip involves sliding of said central member longitudinally for a distance along the bottom of such skis, either of which may disturb the condition of the usual wax coating on the ski bottoms. Further, retention of the skis within the clip depends on engagement of the side edge of each ski by only a single abutment surface which is narrow compared to the thickness of the ski, leading to the risk of unintentional loss of the ski from the clip in casual or rough handling even with spring retention forces sufficiently high as to aggrevate the aforementioned wax disruption problem. Further, the clip can only hold the ski poles in very close spaced side-by-side relation such that the annular basket, even down to the central hub portion thereof, of one ski pole will interfere with the other ski pole, necessitating inconvenient opposite direction of and axial upsetting of the ski poles when installed on the clips. Further, unless the baskets are quite small, they may further tend to interfere with the skis installed on the clips and in such a way as to tend to push the ski poles in a direction out of, rather than into, their sockets on the clips. Installation of the poles on the clips is hampered by the convergence of the leaflike pole socket defining portions of the clip, along with the absence of any significant funneling surfaces, the problem being compounded when the user's hands are mittened or gloved.
Accordingly, none of the prior art ski and pole holding devices, of which I am aware, have won complete acceptance or been intirely satisfactory in use.
Accordingly, the objects of the present invention include provision of:
A holder for both a pair of skis and a pair of ski poles constructable as a unitary article moldable at low cost from relatively inexpensive resin material, which though bendable need not be stretchable.
A holder, as aforesaid, in which primary gripping engagement of the skis is on the side and top surfaces thereof with but minimum contact with the bottom running surfaces of the skis so as to minimize frictional contact with waxed surfaces thereof, and wherein longitudinal sliding movement of the skis with respect to the clips is avoided even during installation and removal of the holders with respect to the skis.
A holder, as aforesaid, in which the bendable ski holding members are relatively short as compared to the width of the ski, and wherein the ski side gripping members have end flange portions partially overlying the tops of the skis to assist gripping thereof, such that the holder material need only have relatively modest elastic return capability to securely grip the ski following deformation of such members to admit the ski into its socket.
A holder, as aforesaid, which provides a funnellike leadin zone width and length substantially exceeding the ski pole diameter, to assist in installation of the ski poles in their sockets on the holder and permit easy accomplishment of such installation even when the user's hands are gloved or mittened.
A holder, as aforesaid, which widely separates the ski poles though holding same in parallel relation with each other and with the skis, to avoid interference of the pole basket hubs of each pole with the other pole.
A holder, as aforesaid, which permits use of the central portion of one pole as a carrying handle for the skis and remaining pole in such way that the weight of the skis and remaining pole tend to seat the one pole more firmly in its socket on the holder rather than to remove same therefrom, and further wherein when the ski-holder-pole assembly is being so carried, the skis and remaining pole tend to seat themselves more deeply within their retention sockets on the holder rather than tending to eject themselves from the holder, even under rough handling.
Other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent to persons acquainted with articles of this general type upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.